In an interview that was broadcast on Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), responded to his critics.
Republicans have repeatedly attacked Fauci for supporting public health measures and flip-flopping on key issues amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In recent weeks, GOP lawmakers and conservative media personalities have slammed the nation's top infectious diseases expert for dismissing the theory that coronavirus leaked from a Chinese research laboratory that was at one point funded by the U.S. government.